Our Initiatives

EYE ON PRIVATIZATION

Government privatization schemes and the false promises made by their think tank backers are quickly becoming a distraction from the real conversations we need to be having about investments in our state – including by making sure millionaires and large corporations pay their fair share.

CHILD CARE

CLU is bringing together child care providers and families to fight for a child care system that is affordable and accessible to any parent that needs it, and that allows child care providers to earn family-sustaining wages and benefits.

GREEN JUSTICE COALITION

Global warming is forcing us to go green, but the “green economy” needs to include everyone. The GJC campaign brings energy efficiency upgrades and jobs to Boston’s low-income communities and communities of color.

10-YEAR AGENDA

Within Community Labor United’s network, there is an understanding that our movement must have a longer term view of our struggle. The Right Wing’s neoliberal agenda has made steady gains for decades in a way that has forced many of us to be on the defensive. We also understand that we do not have enough power to make the changes we really want to see for workers, for our communities, and for the environment. For this reason, we have embarked on a process to work collectively with our partner organizations to develop a long term agenda. We envision building an agenda that is both aspirational and concrete, has both policy and corporate campaigns that build on each other over time, will increase our power on the ground, is proactive and sets the terms of debate, and is grounded in our values and our vision for a just world. Our 10 Year Agenda development is being led by a Steering Committee comprised of leaders from our partner organizations. This group has planned a series of Regional Gatherings that will take place during the spring and early summer of 2017, through which local grassroots leaders will discuss and contribute to the development of our agenda. The process will culminate in the fall of 2017 with a Member Congress to review, refine, ratify & celebrate our 10 Year Agenda.

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STOP WAGE THEFT

Wage theft has become business-as-usual. In our modern economy where bad employers increasingly use subcontracting and outsourcing deals to dodge responsibility for their workers, the epidemic of wage theft has overwhelmed the capacity of our existing labor laws and enforcement mechanisms. That’s why the GJSC Coalition is working to pass a bill to prevent wage theft and promote employer accountability that will uplift low-wage workers and families. The bill will strengthen the state’s economy and ensure Massachusetts remains a leader in strong labor laws and workplace protections.

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EYE ON PRIVATIZATION

We all know that having strong communities and a strong economy requires investments in jobs, education, and quality public services. However, between 1977 and 2009, Massachusetts has cut more taxes than any other state in the country. That means we have $3 billion less each year than we had in the late 1990’s to fund transportation and public services. Chronic funding gaps have unacceptable, dangerous, and often tragic consequences, hurting local families and businesses. Government privatization schemes and the false promises made by their think tank backers are quickly becoming a distraction from the real conversations we need to be having about investments in our state – including by making sure millionaires and large corporations pay their fair share.

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GREEN JUSTICE CAMPAIGN

Global warming is forcing us to go green, but the “green economy” needs to include everyone. The Green Justice Coalition (GJC) brings energy efficiency upgrades and jobs to Boston’s low-income communities and communities of color. In December 2008, the coalition launched a campaign to bring home energy efficiency upgrades and jobs to Boston’s low-income communities and communities of color. Since then we have won subsidies and outreach programs that make home weatherization affordable and accessible; increase wages and job standards for weatherization workers; and other reforms that add up to $21 for every dollar invested in our home weatherization programs.

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For news and updates from the GJC, check out The Green Justice Coalition on Facebook. View the poster from our Energy Efficiency Toolkit here.

CHILD CARE

Licensed child care in Massachusetts is among the most expensive in the country, posing an enormous challenge to working women and their families. When women do not have access to quality, affordable child care that meets their needs, it stresses their daily schedules, constrains employment opportunities, and limits education opportunities. Working non-standard hours or irregular, unpredictable schedules also has major implications for childcare options and costs. Programs that are intended to provide child care assistance to low income parents are so underfunded that most eligible parents do not receive aid. This consistent underfunding also hurts childcare providers and depresses the childcare industry. CLU is bringing together child care providers and families to fight for a child care system that is affordable and accessible to any parent that needs it, and that allows child care providers to earn family-sustaining wages and benefits.

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Tell us your childcare story: Community Labor United is seeking stories from caregivers who have struggled to access affordable, quality child care, and child care educators who have struggled to make a living providing it. These stories will be used to highlight the need for changes in our current child care system. Please fill out this form to share your story! (Form will open in pop-up window. Press ESC to exit.)

PUBLIC TRANSIT, PUBLIC GOOD

The Public Transit Public Good campaign has been working towards an affordable and efficient public transportation system that invests in workers and meets the needs of riders. The best long-term solutions will come from working together with our legislators to find ways to invest more concrete resources in our public transit system. The Path to Better Public Transit report represents a critical ground-level perspective that is too often shut out of the debate. Recommendations in the report made by the Public Transit Public Good campaign include maintaining the fare cap (no more than a 5% increased every two years), upholding the Taxpayer Protection Act, and drawing on the knowledge and expertise of transit riders and workers.

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Community Labor United empowers community-based organizations and labor unions to build strategic campaigns that protect and promote the interests of low and middle-income working families in the Greater Boston Area.